Loop removing and spreading mechanism for button-sewing machines



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' R. THOMPSON. LOOP REMOVING-AND $PREADING MECHANISM FOR BUTTON SEWING MACHINES.

No. 398,010. Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

N. PETER,'Ph0l0-LRMmpMn Washington, D. C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shet 2.

' R. THOMPSON. LOOP REMOVING AND SPREADING MEUHANISM FOR BUTTON SEWING MACHINES.

Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

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N. PETERS, Phumumu n nu. Washington. D. c.

3 SheetsSheet 3.

(No Model.)

R. THOMPSO1 I. LOOP REMOVING AND SPREADING MECHANISM FOR BUTTON SEWING MACHINES.

No. 398,010. Patente Feb. 19, 1889.

%n juveu i o r; iw/ $46 M N. PETERS Piwivhfiwgr liziwr. Wilmington. D. C

Usurnn rarns PATENT rricn.

ROSEWELL THOMPSON, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

LOOP REMOVING AND SPREADING MECHANISM FOR BUTTON-SEWING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,010, dated February 19, 1889. Application filed April 13, 1888. Serial No. 270,555. (No model.)

To to whom it may concern Be it known that I, RosEWELL THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of 'Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Loop Removing and Spreading Mechanism for Shank-Button-ewing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,- forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements upon the machine for sewing shank-buttons to boots and shoes and other fabrics, for which Letters Patent were granted to me November 30, 1886, No. 353,609, the stitch formed by said machine at the present time being that for which Letters Patent were granted to lValter E. Bennett, July 2t, 1887, No. 367,334.

g The object of my present invention is to remove the secondary loop of thread from the open eye of the needle afterithas been drawn up through the fabric by said needle back of the button, then move it forward, and at the same time spread, lower, and pass it over the button head and shank before the final strain is exerted upon it by the take-up and tension mechanisms which complete the stitch. The devices and movements employed to accomplish the desired results are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which shown as in previously-named figures.

and moved suificiently far forward to cause the hook-shaped points of the loop-removing device to enter the loop of thread upon each side of the needle below the eye of the same previous to lifting said loop of thread over the lower barb to rem oy e it from the eye. Fig. 3 is also a side view of the above-named parts of the machine, but with the loop of thread removed from the open eye of the needle and the loop removing and spreading devices moved sufficiently far forward to cause the blunt and wide point of the latter-named de vice to enter said loop of thread and open or spread it a considerable amount, as shown in Fig. 4, which is a top view of the loop removing and spreading devices in same relative positions as just described. Fig. 5 is another side view of the above-named parts of the machine, but with the loop removing and spreading devices moved to their extreme front position, the loop of thread removed from the hook-shaped points of the former-named device and bent forward to about a horizontal position in consequence of the lowering of the spreader over the button-head, the slidingbar which causes said forward motion and the irregular cam-slots which cause the rising and falling motions of said devices being also Fig. 6 is a side view of the aforesaid devices, also i showing the bottom surface of the front end Figure 1 is a side view of the loop removing and spreading devices and lower end of the needle-bar as they appear when said devices are not in use and occupying their extreme rear position upon the machine and while the needle-bar is passing in front of the spreading device to force the needle through the fabric. Fig. 2 is a side view of the froiit end of the fabric-supporting arm of the machine with some of the stitch-forming mech anism contained therein, lower portion of the needle-bar bearing upon its pivot and support, lower end of needle-bar, and all the working end of the needle with the secondary loop of thread in the eye of said needle, the pivoted thread-guard, presser-foot, and but ton-trough being removed. This view also shows the loop removing and spreading devices attached to their operating mechanism of the loop-spreading device to be somewhat below the horizontal center of the button-head, which position causes the loop of thread to pass under said button-head when drawn back by the take-up bar, as shown in the figure. The backward motion of the take-up bar is continued until said loop of thread is drawn snugly around the button-shah k and over the threads which have been passed through the eye, thus completing the stitch and giving it the appearance shown. around the shank of the rear button in this and other figures.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the front end of the fabric-supporting arm of the machine referred to and contains some of the stitch-forming mechanism, the movements of which, with the exception of the take-up bar, form no part of those re- L quired to manipulate and control the secondary loop of thread after it has been drawn up through the fabric by the needle, and there fore are not fully explained and described at the present time.

ll is the needle-bar bearing.

C is the pivot upon which said needlc-bar bearing oscillates when the angle of the neodle-bar is changed by its operating mechanism.

D is the side support for the needle-bar bearing.

E is the front end of the extended arm of the machine.

F is the needle'bar.

G is the needle-bar carrier, the connectingbar being removed therefrom.

ll. is a bar to which a sliding motion im parted by means of its connection with a cam in the body of the machine referred to.

I is a plate over said sliding bar rigidly sei cured to the needle-har-bearing support, but 1 so as to allow the free movement of said sliding bar. a is a cam-slot cut through said plate, and is substantially parallel with the fabric-supporting arm for about three-fourths the length of the slot. a is curved downward some distance.

h is a stud which passes through the cam slot into said sliding bar. J is a plate attached to the lower side of the aforesaid plate, but extends some distance beyond the front edge of the same. This plate also has a camslot, 0, but 1s more irregular in form than the above-named slot. The rear portion is substantially parallel with the faln'ic-supporting arm for some distance. Then the slot is curved downward at 1:, then again becomes substantially parallel with the arm at c, and termiimtes in an enlarged opening, Secured to the bottom of the last-named slot. is a small spring, (I, which extends some distanee into said opening.

K is the loop-spreading device. llpon its rear end a shank, K, which is secured to the front end of the almvc-named sliding bar.

0 the loop-removiug device, and is composed of two thin plates separated from each other for some distance sufficiently to allow the needle to pass between them, but hookshaped and nmeting at the front ends, which turn upward. The rear ends of said plates are attached to a single bar, e, which pivoted to the rear end of the loo 'l-s 'ireading device at f, and said bar extends some distance beyond the pivot, so as to form a long lever, into the extreme end of which is inserted the stud g, which is fitted to pass through and slide freely in the cam-slot 1; r.

71 is the sliding take-up bar, which is operated at the proper time by means of a cam in the body of the machine referred to.

f is a roll around which the thread passed after it leaves the tension mechanism and before it passed around the take-up roll.

j is the tln'ead-controllii1g device, through the holes of which the thread is passed after leaving the take-up roll.

The additional fourth into the extreme end of which is inserted a 7; represents the fabric to which the buttons are sewed, and I is the needle of the machine I The loop spreading device K consists of two substantiallyparallel plates curved downward and meeting at the front end, so as to form a blunt point, the space between said plates being more than the diameter of the buttonl1eads. The front end near the blunt point inside is also wide enough to pass over a button-head when said device is in its extreme forward and lowest position. At, the rear end of the spreading device and between the plates in a central position is pivoted the loop-removing device 6, also consisting of two substantially-parallel plates, which meetat the front ends, so as to form a sharp point which curves upward, said point being near but just back of the blunt point of the spreading device. The space between the plates of the loop-removing device is alittle more than the diameter of the needle and of sufficient length to allow a forward movement of the device while the needle is therein. iack of said space the device consists of a si ugle lever, which extends some (1 istaneebeyond the pivot,

stud, which passes into and slides freely in the cam-slot c c? c", which regulates the risin g and falling motions of the loop-removing device, the position of the loop-spreading device being regulated by the cam-slot a a, while it is moved forward or back by the sliding bar to which it is attached. \Vhen the loop-spreading device is in its extreme forward and lowestposit-ion and the space near the point is holding a button-head, the under side of the point of the. loop-removing device presses lightly upon the top of said buttonhead by action of the small spring (I at this time, thus holding the button in position, but the spring yields sufficiently to allow the loop of thread to pass under thebutton-head when said loop is drawn back by thetake-up mechanism. In forming this stitch I employ an open-eyed double-barbed. needle in connection with the above-described loop removing and spreading devices and their complimentary stitch-forming mechanism in the fabricsupporting arm of the machine, the upper barb serving to retain the primary loop of thread. in the eye while it is forced downward and through the fabric, and. the lower barb serving to retain the secondary loop of thread while it is drawn upward through and above the fabric, as it has previously done with the primary loop under similar conditions.

The operation of the stitch-formi n g devices in the fabtic-supporting arm of the machine, not shown and described in detail, as this mechanism forms no part of my present invention, which relates to the manipulation of the secondary loop of thread only after it has been drawn up to its highest point by the needle.

The loop removing and spreading devices occupy their extreme rear position upon the machine while the stitch-forming mechanism in the fabric-supporting arm is in operation, and also while the needle is being forced through the fabric outside and back of the buttoneye preparatory to drawing the secondary loop of thread up through said fabric. After said secondary loop has reached its highest point above the fabric, as shown in Fig. 2, a forward motion is imparted to the bar H and all devices attached thereto by means of the cam in the body of the machine to which reference has been made. The forward motion being continued, the stud g, at the rear end of the lever (2, slides in the camslot at c, which downward motion of the rear end of said lever, together with the forward motion of the bar H, causes the hook-shaped points of the loop-removing device to enter said secondary loop of thread with a rising motion each side of the needle below the eye, as shown in the figure, the hook-shaped points of the loop-removing device having previously been passed under the point of the needle while the stud g was in the cam-slot c. Said hook shaped points are immediately raised after passing under the point of the needle by the slot 0, as above described. Said rising and forward motions of the loop-removing device are continued, and the loop of thread is removed from the eye of the needle by lifting it over the lower barb and carrying it forward, it being still retained upon the hookshaped points of the removing device, which now has a forward motion only, the stud g being at this time in the cam-slot c, as shown in Fig. 3. I11 consequence of the continued forward motion of the sliding bar H with loop in position, as above described, the blunt point of the spreading device enters said loop, as shown in Figs. 3 and Said spreading device up to nearly this time has a forward n10- tion only, the stud b sliding in the cam-slot a; but the forward motion being still continued said stud follows the cam-slot a, causing the lower edge of the front end of the spreading what below its horizontal center at the conclusion of the forward motion, as shown in Figs. 5 and U. The fall of the spreading de- 1 vice causes theloop of thread to bend forward I in the manner shown in Fig. 5,it being spread V 1 device to fall over the button-head and some- I sufficiently wide at this time to pass over the button-head, it having been released from the hook-shaped points of the loop-removing device during the latter part of the forward motion by the action of the small spring d upon the stud g, which caused said points to fall and release the loop. *hen the loopspreading device is in its lowest position, the i points of the loop-removing device are below the top edges of the spreading device, and i the under edges of the hook-shaped points i of the loop-removing device press lightly upon the button-head by action of the small spring (I upon the stud g, as shown in Figs.

5 and 6, causing said button-head and its shank to retain their inclined position while the take-up bar is drawing the loop of thread under said button-head and around its shank. The small spring d yields sufficiently to allow said loop'to pass between the button-head and fabric, as shown in Fig. 6, and, as said inclined. position is retained until the loop of thread is fully drawn up to the shank and the threads which have been passed through the eye of the same, the loop of thread, in consequence of said inclined position of the shank, naturally slides down snugly to said threads, so that the stitch when completed presents the appearance represented around the rear button-shanks in Figs. 2, 3, 5, and 6, for sufficient strain may be exerted upon the loop of thread by means of the take-up and tension mechanisms of the machine to cause the buttons to assume a vertical position, as illustrated in the several figures. After the secondary loop of thread has been snugly drawn around the button-shank, as above described, the loop-spreading device is immediately raised and carried back to its extreme rear position upon the machine. In the meantime the fabric-feeding mechanism carries the material k'suffieiently far back to cause the button-supplying device to place another button in its proper position to be sewed to the 5 fabric, and after the first part of the stitch has been properly made by the needle and its complementary stitch-forming mechanism in the fabric-supporting arm of the machine, and the secondary loop of thread drawn through the fabric and up to its highest point above the same by the needle, the bar H and all the devices attached thereto are again moved forward, and the operations upon said loop of thread repeated, as above described.

I am aware that prior to my invention various devices have been employed in buttonsewing machines to remove the secondary loop of thread from the eye of the needle and pass it over a button-head; but

I claim as my invention and desire to se cure by Letters Patent In a button-sewing machine, and in combination with its double-barbed needle and complementary stitch-forming mechanism, the loop-spreading device K, consisting of two substantially-parallel plates united at one end to form a point and having an opening at that en d to receive the button, the loop-removing device (2, pivoted between the plates of the loop-spreading device, and also eonsisting of two plates united at one end to form a point, the space between said plates being wide enough to receive the needle, and suitable mechanical means for operating these devices, all substantially as set forthf ROSElVELL THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

H. A. THOMPSON, C. EDWIN THOMPSON. 

